Claudia

Feminine variation of Claude
"lame; enclosure"

Claudia Origin and Meaning

The name Claudia is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "lame; enclosure".

Claudia is a classic name with ancient Roman roots. Never truly in or truly out, Claudia feels like a strong, modern choice that hits the sweet spot between too popular and too unusual..

Claudia was a common girls’ name in ancient Rome, borne by the wives of both Nero and Pontius Pilate. The name is mentioned in the New Testament in one of St. Paul's letters to Timothy as one of the Christian women in Rome. As a result, it was taken up in the sixteenth century and has been in moderate use ever since.

There was a popular mid-century series of novels by Rose Franken, beginning with Claudia: The Story of a Marriage. The name was also used by Agatha Christie and Penelope Lively, as well as being a main character in Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire. Model Claudia Schiffer gave it an infusion of glamour, as had earlier Italian actress Claudia Cardinale. Michelle Pfeiffer has a daughter named Claudia.

While some parents may be put off by the common "lame" meaning, some etymologists theorize that the name may relate to the word for enclosure or clause, an alternate meaning that may appeal to a child with a form of this otherwise appealing name.

# 872 in the US

Claudia Rank in US Top 1000

# 151 on Nameberry

Claudia Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Claudia Popularity

Famous People Named Claudia

  • Claudia (Marisa) Ruggerini
    Italian partisan
  • Claudia Schiffer
    German supermodel
  • Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale
    Italian actress
  • Claudia Ann Christian
    American actress
  • Claudia Lee Black
    Australian actress
  • Claudia Pechstein
    German speed skater
  • Claudia Jordan
    American model and TV personality
  • Claudia Lynn Cohen
    American gossip columnist and TV reporter
  • Claudia Anne Winkleman
    English television presenter
  • Claudia Kohde
    Kilsch, German tennis player
  • Claudia Porwick
    German tennis player
  • Claudia Karvan
    Australian actress
  • Claudia Fragapane
    GB gymnast
  • Claudia O'Doherty
    Australian actress and comedian
  • Claudia Rose Kelley
    daughter of actress Michelle Pfeiffer and TV writer/producer David E. Kelley
  • Claudia Alende (b. 1993)
    Brazilian singer, model, called the "Latina Megan Fox" for her resemblance to the actress
  • Claudia Sulewski
    American YouTuber

Claudia in Pop Culture

  • Claudia Joy Holden
    character on TV's "Army Wives"
  • Claudia
    little girl in "Interview with the Vampire"
  • Claudia Donovan
    the Tech Girl on TV's "Warehouse 13"
  • Claudia Jean "CJ" Cregg
    character on TV's "The West Wing"
  • Claudia Kishi
    character in The Baby,Sitters Club series
  • Claudia Wolf
    character in video game "Silent Hill 3"
  • Claudia Kincaid
    in"From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler," by E.L. Konigsburg
  • Claudia Salinger
    character on TV's "Party of Five"
  • Claudia Parr
    main character in "Baby Proof" by Emily Giffin
  • Claudia Da Forli
    character in G. A. Henty's, A Knight of the White Cross
  • Claudia Arlex
    character in Catherine Fisher's Incarceron and Sapphique
  • Claudia Perret
    character in mobile game “Murder in the Alps”
  • Claudia Tapper
    character in the "The Tapper Twins" series by Geoff Rodkey
  • Claudia
    character in the animated TV series "The Dragon Prince"